"New snow and sunny skies, it’s great for marketing, but it’s bad for avalanches," he said. "We’ve got to be prepared for our own self rescue."

One in four people killed by avalanches die from trauma, Gordon said.

"You’ve got a window of about 15 minutes to live under snow," he said.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, "the area had received a large amount of fresh snow over the past few days."

"This saddens me deeply," Gordon said Wednesday near the scene of the slide. "Avalanches don’t happen by chance, avalanches happen by choice. We’re the ones that trigger avalanches that either hurt us or kill us."

Avoid slopes in the backcountry steeper that 30 degrees that face the northerly half of the compass and be prepared with shovels, probes and avalanche beacons should rescue become necessary, Gordon advised.

"Know how to use all the gear and be well practiced," he said.

Cross avalanche terrain one person at a time and always leave somebody in a safe spot to do the rescue if something goes wrong.

"The best way to avoid all of this right now is to just go and play on low angle slopes," Gordon said.

He stressed that before someone enters the backcountry they should consult the Utah Avalanche Center by calling (888) 999-4019 or visiting http://www.utahavalanchecenter.com.

"The people who don’t realize that our resource exists and don’t utilize it are the majority of people who get caught in avalanches," Gordon lamented. "It’s either us or somebody in our group that triggers avalanches."

Portland, Ore. resident Barbara Timper said she tried to rent avalanche safety equipment in Salt Lake City before she went snowshoeing Wednesday, but to no avail.

"Don’t go without it," Oakley resident Kris Kellogg warned in an interview near the site of the deadly slide.